FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER ILONA VERESK

Fashion Advertising

Ilona D. Veresk is a Fashion advertising and art photographer based in Moscow. Her personal patience of organization and concepts makes her own fashion stories looks like fairy tale or surreal dream you can believe in. Ilona has a support of such strong companies like Broncolor and Wacom, after only three years work on freelance photography.

“My process in photography is not just a clicking on button. I work as art director and producer of my own surreal tales, I work by myself with light, pre- and post production. Sometimes I do clothes and accessories for my art shoots. Currently, I do advertising photography for different brands, lookbooks and campaigns, fashion and beauty editorials for magazines. Such genres as art fashion, surrealism, dark, art nouveau and fairytale fashion are the closest to me. I draw inspiration from nature, plants, mix these ingredients with avant-garde fashion and fantasy. The post-apocalyptic topics and utopian worlds and the mixture of totally different styles and eras is also a large cup of inspiration. “

How is the fashion in Russia?

It is only in stage of progress now, but there are many of creative people who making unique and perfect things in this industry, it inspires.

How would you define beauty?

Beauty is a very subjective term, for me it’s only what I like. For you, of course, it’s something different, which depends on your personal life experience and vision. I like nature and natural beauty of human – it’s my lead motive in art.

Were you educate in photography, or are yourself taught?

I’m self-taught in photography. I finished art lyceum and started my way as digital and photomanipulation artist, but later it became too boring for me. Photography brings action and fancy to my life that’s why I love it.

What camera do you use most of the time?

Camera doesn’t matter to me, every of modern brands can do its work very well. It differs only in control and your taste. Most part of my recent portfolio was shooted with Canon 600D, it’s entry-level cheap model, as you know. Just add here good lens (Fix or L series) and you will get nice “working horse” for lower price. Best one I have tested is Hasselblad, this one gives really amazing extremely detailed images, but it’s very heavy one and expensive to buy. However, I’m really meticulous person referring to lightning equipment because light in photography means much more than camera or other tools. One and half year before my choice fell on Broncolor systems, I was impressed by their technologies and main politics of company. (Just look at the Broncolor PARA’s shape for example! God, it’s ingenious. This bird can replace five light shapers even more). I don’t fully understand how it became possible, but now I’m the one from Broncolor GenNext ambassadors. You can hear about, for example, Lara Jade, Christina Otero, Yulia Gorbachenko, Benjamin Von Wong and other cool guys, they all was previous winners of GenNext. So it’s a big honor and awesome creative kick for me.

Which photo are you currently most proud of?

My best shot is always which I’m planning to take tomorrow.

Comparing where you are now with where you are when you first started, what could you has done differently to get to where you are sooner?

Many of magazines and people have asked me such question, I don’t know why. I only can suggest what some people are regretting about something in their past. Maybe about lost time on loveless job or abuse relationships or something else. So if you don’t like something just change it up the fly. It’s hard sometimes, but possible if you really want it. So… My answer is no, of course. Every small detail in my life guides myself to the recent results. My own mistakes is only one thing are doing me myself. If I had skip something I would lost my experience. However, if I had a chance to be born in other universe, in computer game or movie, for example, it would be much more interesting. I would prefer to become a hero of Morrowind *laughing*

You’ve clearly worked with a wide range of models, what tips can you recommend to people looking to expand their portfolio?

Scrutinous casting. Your team are very important. – always remember about it. And the one sin I see everywhere – is a dump in portfolio. Choose only the images which characterize your vision and personality and throw away anything which you wouldn’t want to shoot one day ever after. ​​​​​​​It’s better to keep in your portfolio only two images, but perfect, then thousands of failed.

Describe a typical shoot.

That’s really long story, sometimes it takes months, sometimes only couple of days. Maybe i’ll shoot a video about it later and add it to my YouTube channel. Just a little bit of patience. 🙂

How much time do you spend taking photos, versus retouching photos?

Depends of shoot of course. Some images are initially taking for hardcore retouching, but mostly I prefer real decorations, then Photoshop. Even if the picture is clean enough, I use heavy color corrections every time, to get images what I see in my head.

Who would you like to work with most?

Never thought about it.

Favorite photography book?

Mostly it is educational literature. The last one I have read is Lighting architecture of Urs Recher.